Island Girl
Charles R. Hinckley
Mad Drummer (2024)
ISBN: 979-8324002336
Reviewed by Maryann Miller for Reader Views (07/2026)
Island Girl covers tough subjects such as alcoholism, sexual assault, and extreme emotional and family dysfunction. The emotional intensity is heart-stopping in places, especially in the scenes when Garrett struggles with grief and fights the pull of the ‘drink.’ The descriptions of the emotional assault that comes with intense anguish over sudden and tragic losses create relatable moments, making readers care about Garrett and urging them to read on to see whether he’ll survive danger and threats to come.
I appreciated the honest look at what grief can do to a person; how it destabilizes a person emotionally, and Garrett’s struggle with alcohol addiction is believable. The double hit of losing his wife and child in a tragic plane crash would be the undoing of many men, especially one who is firmly established as being a devoted husband and father, and the author lays that all out nicely.
The girl, whom Garrett first knows as Jane before finding out she has other aliases, shows up one night on his private island, wet, bedraggled, and showing signs of injuries. Her story is that she’s running from someone who means her harm, and she’d jumped out of a boat near the island before swimming to Garrett’s little haven. What follows is a complicated, convoluted sequence of events that are shrouded in mystery and lies, and there are plenty of times the reader is left wondering if anything is true and whether Garrett trusts Jane at all.
The story has a pleasant balance of action, danger, introspection, and even playful moments between Garrett and Jane on a day that feels almost normal, as they are picking berries, but normal is fleeting. Soon the danger comes ashore, and the suspense builds momentum as the story gets closer to the end, fully engaging the reader until the final resolution.
Throughout the reading, it was hard to accept some of Garrett’s behavior, especially when he was lusting after the girl, as it didn’t fit the kind of dedicated husband he’d been introduced as. The quick, physical attraction to Jane when he finds her in the house came across as a bit extreme.
The sexual angle to the story was overdone, not allowing enough room for the characters to find each other in other ways, and decisions to have sex in the moment didn’t always make sense. That was most noticeable at a point when danger is looming, and Garrett lets Jane lead him to the bedroom. While that isn’t the first time they have sex, having them go to bed in the middle of a tense moment felt out of place. True, fictional people are “fiction,” but it is crucial for believability that they behave in ways that real people can buy into.
With a solid mystery, Island Girl is a perfect read for fans of the suspenseful crime and mystery genres.
At a Glance:
A contemporary suspense novel blending mystery, crime, and emotional drama. A grieving widower shelters a mysterious young woman fleeing unseen dangers, forcing him to confront trauma, addiction, and questions of trust. Contains alcoholism, sexual assault, grief, and mature sexual content.
Best for Readers Who Enjoy:
crime mystery, psychological suspense, grief and healing, addiction recovery themes, isolated island settings, hidden identities, emotional character-driven thrillers, relationship drama, mature suspense, morally complex characters